Jakarta, July 14, 2026 – Minister of Creative Economy/Head of the Creative Economy Agency (Ekraf), Teuku Riefky Harsya, discussed opportunities for collaboration to develop Indonesia’s national esports ecosystem with the Odong Prestasi Indonesia Foundation and representatives of the United States Embassy in Jakarta. The development initiative is being pursued through the American Spaces Indonesia Esports Development program, implemented in collaboration with the US Embassy.
Minister of Creative Economy/Head of the Creative Economy Agency (Ekraf), Teuku Riefky Harsya, receives an audience with the Odong Prestasi Indonesia Foundation at the Ministry of Creative Economy office, Jakarta, Tuesday (14/07/2026).
The Odong Prestasi Indonesia Foundation is a nonprofit organization that originated as a community in 2017 and was formally established as a foundation in 2024. It focuses on developing the national esports ecosystem and empowering young people through competitive gaming, combined with the development of skills based on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM).
The Minister of Creative Economy said that the American Spaces Indonesia Esports Development program aligns with the Ministry’s vision of strengthening creative talent and building a sustainable creative economy ecosystem. He added that these initiatives could be integrated with the development of creative economy infrastructure through Creative Hub activation, talent development, expanded market access, and cross-subsector collaboration.
Photo: Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency.
“We appreciate the efforts undertaken by the Odong Foundation and the United States Embassy in supporting Indonesia’s creative economy ecosystem. We also hope to strengthen collaboration with the United States through the establishment of American Corners in every Creative Hub in the future. We believe this collaboration will make it easier to activate and optimize the functions of these creative spaces. We also hope to welcome more creative economy practitioners and subsectors from the United States to collaborate and share their experiences in Indonesia,” said the Minister during an audience at the Ministry of Creative Economy office in Jakarta, Tuesday (14/7).
Acting Country Public Affairs Officer at the US Embassy in Jakarta, Abraham Lee, explained that the American Spaces Indonesia Esports Development program operates through a network of seven American Corners located in Malang, Makassar, Ambon, Yogyakarta, Padang, Semarang, and Pontianak. The program is designed as an open platform for community collaboration while empowering young people through esports as part of sports diplomacy.
Photo: Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency.
“We see considerable potential for further collaboration with the Ministry of Creative Economy. One example is utilizing American Corners as venues for various workshops. This would allow activities to focus on specific subsectors to strengthen human resource capacity in the creative economy. We strongly support the Ministry’s initiatives because we see many shared goals and overlapping interests in the programs we seek to implement together,” said Abraham Lee.
Project Coordinator of American Spaces Indonesia Esports Development, Nicko Aryo Bimo, added that the program focuses not only on identifying esports athletes but also on building the industry ecosystem across various regions. Participants receive training in tournament management, broadcast production, content development, hosting, shoutcasting, video production, and partnership development.
“We are building an esports hub from the ground up. Our focus is not only on identifying athletes but also on preparing talent behind the esports industry, including event management, broadcast production, hosting, shoutcasting, content creation, video production, and partnerships. Through this approach, we aim to establish a sustainable esports ecosystem across seven cities in Indonesia,” Nicko explained.
Photo: Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency.
The meeting was also attended by Odong Prestasi Indonesia Foundation Founder and Advisor Ahmad Victor Samodra, US Embassy Regional Public Engagement Specialist Anup Mahajan, and American Spaces Indonesia Program Specialist Christian Simanullang.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Creative Economy was accompanied by Deputy for Digital and Technology Creativity Muhammad Neil El Himam, Minister’s Special Staff for Strategic and Interinstitutional Affairs Rian Firmansyah, Director of Games Luat Sihombing, and Director of Film, Animation, and Video Doni Setiawan.
Kiagoos Irvan Faisal
Head of Bureau for Communication
Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency
